Archive

Review | BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma (3DS)

The BlazBlue cast returns in the sequel to the spin-off BlazyBlue: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale.

BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma is one of those kinds of games that some Japanese game studios make where it is focusing on the comedy of character interaction and off-setting their seriousness or coolness by making every character super deformed cute incarnations of themselves. What sets BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma apart from its core series main entries is not only the style and aesthetics, but mainly the gameplay. Is BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma just cloning around? Or is it worth BlazBlue fans to check it out?

Downloading BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma took longer than to beat its story mode as Ragna. Discovering the depth and extent of the gameplay’s core systems took maybe about 2 minutes. The shock and confusion felt when it was discovered that there is no online or any multiplayer was instant. What is, BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma? It is a game where users must hack away at oncoming clones of enemies and basically score ring-outs. With a surprisingly large roster who all play the same- each character has an interchangeable attack and a special attack (also interchangeable) which has powerful knock-back. The player is only permitted three ring-outs before game over, but there are infinite continues, so there is never any real penalty other than having to go through dialogue that cannot be skipped.

The only modes are challenge mode and story mode. Both are more or less the same, and doesn’t matter which mode is chosen; after 30 seconds the realization occurs that this is really boring. Barren and flat small arenas, enemies just shuffle their feet towards the player-character and if they fell like it- they might try to attack. On a good day, the enemy might even try to make an attack connect. Characters control very stiffly and slowly with no appealing animation, very flatly executed. It is a shame because the game has generally pretty good graphics for a five dollar download. When a game’s appeal is supposed to be cute and “chibi” style visuals, logically the animation should reflect that. Instead characters move like confused wind-up toys that do not reflect their respective character personalities.

BlazyBlue: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale for the DS had five playable characters but BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma has a whopping ten. This was surprising and gives the game some replayability with different scenes of art that can be unlocked. Every story is voiced and the music is the standard BlazBlue that the fans have come to expect. The presentation is fairly plain and there just isn’t much to BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma as a whole. The most impressive aspect of this game is the fact that it is only $5.00 with 3D graphics. The frame rate isn’t even that great or consistent, as the enemy waves get denser the frame rate drops. The game works but only on the most basic and fundamental levels. During some bossfights, there were lots of questionable hit detection instances. Bosses had very inconsistent attacks that had a range that was very wide or did not affect the player at all. Moments like this are confusing to the player and make the fights feel very cheap and loses feel unwarranted.

BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma is not a recommended purchase for anyone. It is a very bare bones game with insubstantial content that relies on sleep inducing gameplay with minimalistic gameplay mechanics. Arc System Work is a talent team who have made some of the finest fighting games the industry has ever seen- and when they put out games like BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma, it looks like a waste of their efforts. Who is BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma made for exactly? The large roster indicates that it is just for fans of the characters themselves and not so much the mechanics. BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma is probably a cash grab on the established BlazBlue fanbase. It makes sense considering the gameplay is so throwaway and how barren the overall product is.

Knock the enemy out of the ring, that’s it. Incredibly basic and barebones beatem-up that looks nice on the surface, but is a hollow egg with no protein. After about 2 minutes, all that there is to see in the game has been seen and done.

BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma is not a worthy purchase. Middling and boring, this is a game that is cashing on the popularity of the BlazBlue name and characters. It has only two modes that are almost the same and no multiplayer to speak of, a feature in the previous title.

BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma is a piece of junk. Shovelware with the BlazBlue name emblazoned on it. The only reason this was greenlit was to bank off the popularity and to coincide with the release of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, the real game that Arc System Works intends people on buying. BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma should be a bonus minigame, in that game. 4